Unlike gummy bears and M&M's, some candies, like conversation hearts, candy corn and Cadbury Creme eggs only make an appearance once a year. I've never been a huge fan of the hearts or the corn, but the eggs... now those are another story. No one is ever "on the fence" about creme eggs -- you either love 'em or hate 'em. And if you're a fan, then I have just the recipe for you, my friend!
Cadbury Creme Eggs aren't the healthiest of treats, but with this simple recipe, I feel better about eating them once a year, am I'm able to control the ingredients and make them without preservatives. The insides aren't as gooey as the store bought eggs, but they are still rather tasty and have that same vanilla flavor.

Add the butter, syrup, salt, vanilla and vanilla bean (if using) to the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. (You can also use a hand-mixer). Mix the ingredients together until smooth. With the mixer set to low, slowly add the powdered sugar until well combined, scraping down the sides if necessary.

Take 1/3 of the mixture into a bowl and add the yellow food coloring until you reach your desired color. (I prefer the gel coloring, as it doesn't dilute the thickness of the mixture, but either will work fine.) The remaining mixture can stay in the mixing bowl. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap and put in the freezer for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, remove the bowls from the freezer. Grab your 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, which you'll use to make evenly sized yellow "yolks." Work quickly, as the mixture will soften in your hands. If this happens, you can put the bowl back into the freezer for a few minutes. Place the yolks on a sheet/plate covered in parchment paper and stick them back in the freezer.

yolks

Take the "whites" bowl out of the freezer and grab your 1 teaspoon measuring spoon to measure these (they should be twice the size of the yolks). Make sure you have the same number of "whites" as "yolks." Once you are finished rolling these out, place them back in the freezer for 5 minutes.

whites

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Take the "whites" and "yolks" out of the freezer and set them down next to the cookie sheet, like an assembly line. Take one "white" and make an impression with your thumb. Take a "yolk" and press it into the impression in the "white." Wrap the "white" around the "yolk" and create an egg shape. Place the egg on the cookie sheet. Repeat the process on the remaining eggs and place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes.

whites+yolks

While the eggs are hardening, melt the chocolate. This can be done on the stove or in the microwave. If you're melting in the microwave, melt in 30 second increments until you reach your desired consistency (this usually takes 2 minutes, but can vary depending on your microwave). Another option is melting the chocolate on the stove, by bringing 2 inches of water to simmer and placing a glass (not medal) bowl, filled with the chocolate over top of the pot. Stir consistently while the chocolate is melting. Turn the heat off before you begin dipping the chocolate, as it could easily burn. And that would be frustrating!

eggs

Initially, I cut a yam in-half to act as my "drying rack" but I noticed that a few of the eggs fell from the toothpicks. For the smaller ones, I let stand in the yam to dry, but for the larger eggs, I let them dry in the freezer, which resulted in one flat side and one rounded side. I was ok with that.

eggs drying

Make another assembly line with the melted chocolate and the yam (or another cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, whichever way you choose to dry your eggs). Take one egg at a time out of the freezer, spear with a toothpick and dip into the chocolate. You may need a spoon to help cover the egg with the chocolate (I did). Dip the remaining eggs and set them in the refrigerator to harden.(Remove them from the 'fridge a few minutes before you're ready to eat, as they will have hardened.)

Lastly, enjoy!

Cut egg

Mine don't look like professional eggs, but I like them a little rustic and rumpled. They taste delicious and I'm eager to share them with friends and family this weekend. It's a good thing I'm enjoying them now, because as of Monday, it's back to business -- as in getting fit! Genuine Joy is launching it's third annual 30 for 30fitness campaign, so make sure you join in on the fun as we gear up and get ready for Summer!